Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Tuesday, 12th September 2023
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Tuesday, 12th September 2023
Analysis of industry data carried out by the PA news agency shows that English rail fares will rise by as much as eight per cent if the government uses the same formula as it has this year, according to Scottish news website The Press and Journal.
P&J reported that this would be the highest annual fare increase since privatisation in 1996.
This year, The Department for Transport (DfT) aligned its cap on fare increases with Britain’s average earnings growth for July 2022, 5.9 per cent. Office for National Statistics figures show that the same measure for July 2023 was eight per cent.
Norman Baker, former Liberal Democrat transport minister and director of external affairs at pressure group Campaign for Better Transport, called the potential increase “eye-watering.”
Alstom has warned Ministers that HS2 delays could force it to mothball its train assembly plant in Derby by the end of the year, endangering 2000 jobs.
The Business Desk reported that delays in the build of rolling stock for HS2 could lead to the plant (which is Europe’s largest) running out of work. As well as putting thousands of jobs at risk, this would impact 1,400 companies in the supply chain.
Alstom won the £2 billion contract to build rolling stock for HS2 in conjunction with Hitachi’s Durham factory. However, the project’s start date has since been pushed back to 2026.
The introduction of high-speed mobile coverage across the Tube network has entered its next phase, with some stations in the West End now receiving 4G and 5G.
Customers using the Central line between Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road are benefitting from 4G and 5G coverage in the ticket hall and on platforms and escalators. High-speed coverage has also been introduced on Tottenham Court Road’s Northern line platforms.
Delivered for the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) by Boldyn Networks, the project involves all four mobile operators. It has already seen 4G delivered on sections of the Jubilee, Northern and Central lines, and will reach 33 stations with underground platforms by the end of the year.
Finally, Network Rail and South Western Railway (SWR) have unveiled 10 William Blake-inspired mosaics in Surbiton station, brightening up the Grade II listed building.
The partners worked with Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College (RHACC), London School of Mosaic, Surbiton Art Trail, and Friends of Surbiton Station to install the detailed artworks on the station’s footbridge.
Inspired by poet and artist William Blake, the mosaics belong to a set of 70 created by Southbank Mosaics. They were originally installed in the streets, walkways, and underground tunnels of Lambeth, where Blake spent time between 1790 and 1800.
